To: alt.magick
From: heidrick@well.sf.ca.us (Bill Heidrick)]
Subject: Re: History of the LBRP
Date: 19 Nov 1994 19:48:39 GMT
Quoting: |Fra. Doubt-Goat (skhtmt@teleport.com) writes:
|Does anyone have any *real* history of the LBRP before the Golden Dawn?
First appearance of the ritual appears to be within the G.'.D.'.,
but there are precursors in Eliphas Levi and before.
The Qabalistic Cross which begins and closes the ritual is a
combination of the Roman Catholic Sign of the Cross and the "occult
versical of the Lord's Prayer" ---- the latter being a closing
phrase commonly attached to the end of the prayer by Protestants
and others: "For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory
forever and ever, Amen". ---- This comes from Levi, who also says
that the sign of the cross is ancient. The key words of the above
phrase were translated into Hebrew, adapted very slightly to the
Tree of Life by choice of an alternate name for one Sephira, Chesed
= Gedulah. The hand motions were already part of the Sign of the
Cross, except for the downward extension to get in "Malkut" or
"Kingdom".
In saying that the sign of the cross is ancient, Levi evidently
makes obscure reference to the fact that the sign of the cross was
introduced into Christianity as an assumption of the Sign of the
Hammer of Thor, probably in Britain by the Celtic (not Roman) Xtian
Church & probably before the Venerable Bede. The sign is essentially
the same in all respects but words. The same source probably
introduced the word "god" to English, being an old Teutonic-Norse
word for "that to which/whom one prays". It is remotely possible
that this word "god" was introduced as a pun and mask on "Od" or
"Odin", a common swear word in that part of the world. By adding
Xtian dogma language to a reflexive hand gesture and an easy gutteral
prefix to a habitual utterance, the Celtic Church facilitated
conversion of the Danes and Vikings who occupied much of Britain at
the time. (Note: The English word "vacation" derives from "Viking"
as "gang a viki'n" --- the Vikings were folks who went raiding after
their rural seasonal work was done in the Northland. They were the
original terrible tourists!). As to the impact of things done in
Britain in those times on the Latin or Roman Church, it must be
remembered that Northern and Central Britain had a period notable
for literature before the Saxons and Danes overwhelmed the place.
During that period Continental Europe was so war-torn that scholars
preferred Britain to France and Italy for education and literature.
Another factor often overlooked in casual reading of history is
the Atlantaen connection between Ireland and North Africa --- not
Atlantis, but Atlantic. Coastal travel made Ireland and Morocco
closer than Britain and Italy in terms of time and safety, with
coasting to Egypt safer as well, owing to the relative quiet
in the region. Relics of this period can still be seen in
engravings of Coptic priests on some old Irish stonework and in
the fact of Connemara Chant, along with some Irish music, being
essentially the same in sound as Moroccan folk music.
Levi is also attributed as the source of the central part of the
Lesser Pentagram Ritual, from vague hints in his books. The
precursor to that is more literally to be seen in a Hebrew night
prayer. The following is from _The Hirsch Siddur_, Sephardic
edition, by R. Samson Raphael Hirsch, Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem
and New York, 1969, p. 727. R. Hirsch was a famous 19th century
religious scholar and author of many books and studies.
"In the Name of God, the God of Yisrale: may Michael be at my right
hand, Gabriel at my left, Uriel before me, Raphael behind me, and
above my head, the presence of God."
There are other variations in night prayers on this same theme.
The Golden Dawn elaborated by inserting four divine names, with
pentagrams (symbol of humanity and the correct Seal of Solomon),
elemental direction changes and motions. The divine presence
was represented by a hexagram, Seal of David or 6-rayed star.
(Arch)angelic names were switched around to correspond to the
elemental attributions of Tycho Braha and the prevailing winds
in the West of England --- with variations for different uses
of the ritual.
Crowley further altered this ritual by inserting "Aiwass" and
a touch to the heart region (substitute your own angel's name
if you know it) between "Ateh" and "Malkut". Crowley used this
ritual with considerable variation in several others, as a
basic form, including the Star Ruby and Reguli.
93 93/93
Bill Heidrick